Tonight, You Are the Prey

The third howl came from even farther away, stretching through the wind before slowly fading into the darkness.

No one around the fire spoke at once. Pairs of green eyes still appeared and disappeared beyond the edge of the firelight, but after that howl, the Sand Fox pack seemed to grow quieter. They no longer moved closer or circled as they had before. Instead, they lowered their bodies in the darkness as though waiting for another command.

Luu Thanh held the wineskin in one hand and watched the shadows for a moment before pouring several more cups.

“We already lit the fire. We might as well play the part properly.”

He placed a cup in front of Hao Nhien.

The sweet-and-sour scent of prickly cactus wine mingled with smoke and the cold dampness drifting from the Sinking Sands. Hao Nhien picked up the cup while keeping his eyes on the distant beasts.

“Have a drink.”

Cat Dang looked at him with mild surprise. Hao Nhien smiled.

“Not to forget what we are worried about. We are still alive, so one cup is not a waste.”

The tension around the fire eased slightly. Several porcelain cups touched with a faint clink that sounded unusually clear in the desert night. The wine tasted sweet and sour at first, then left a mild heat spreading through the stomach.

Hao Nhien had only just set his cup down when another howl sounded from the distance. This one was closer and heavier, and the green eyes beyond the firelight lowered almost in unison.

He rose and brushed the sand lightly from his robe.

“It has started.”

Luu Thanh immediately set down the wineskin and pulled his bow closer. Cat Dang tightened his grip on his long spear, while Lanh Hoa was already standing, his eyes never leaving the darkness ahead.

Hao Nhien looked over the group.

“The plan remains the same. No one enters the Sinking Sands unless I give the signal.”

Luu Thanh nodded, though he still asked, “What if the big one refuses to appear?”

“I will give it something to think about.”

Hao Nhien looked toward the Sand Fox silhouettes in the distance.

“But the goal is not to kill this entire pack. I only need to create enough disturbance that the one behind them can no longer keep watching.”

Lanh Hoa said in a low voice, “I will hold the outer edge.”

“Yes. If the smaller packs circle toward our retreat route, stop them, but do not pursue too far.”

Hao Nhien turned to Luu Thanh.

“You take the high ground. Only shoot when I signal, or when one of them breaks away from the direction I want.”

Then he looked at Cat Dang.

“Elder Cat Dang, stay behind and protect the Cat Loi people and the horses. If the situation goes beyond what we expected, withdraw from this area at once. Do not wait for me.”

Cat Dang was silent for a moment before nodding.

“I understand.”

Only then did Hao Nhien turn back toward the darkness.

With a thought, a broad-bladed sword appeared in his hand. It was one of the spoils he had taken from Black Wind earlier. The blade was thick and far heavier than the Tieu Dao Sword, with several faded ancient patterns still visible across its surface.

It was not as sharp as Tieu Dao, nor was it suited to refined sword techniques, but tonight Hao Nhien did not need a faster weapon. He needed weight and downward force, something heavy enough to shift the balance of a creature several times larger than himself at the right moment.

He tightened his grip on the hilt, felt the weight settle into his wrist, and stepped beyond the firelight.

Hao Nhien circulated spiritual power through his meridians and used his Wind affinity to lighten his body before rushing toward the Sand Fox pack. Spirit Wings were his greatest advantage in this terrain, but they also consumed a great deal of energy. If he relied on them continuously from the beginning, he might find himself without that escape route when a truly fatal attack came.

The distance closed rapidly.

A Sand Fox at the outer edge had only just turned its head when Hao Nhien was already upon it. The broad sword swept sideways, its heavy blade smashing into the beast’s shoulder, tearing through thick fur and knocking it sideways across the sand.

A cry rang out.

Hao Nhien did not pursue. He used the momentum of the strike to turn toward a second beast and cut across its back, opening a wound deep enough to bleed but not enough to kill.

That was exactly what he wanted.

The scent of blood quickly spread through the wind, while one cry after another broke the silence the pack had maintained until now.

But the Sand Foxes reacted faster than Hao Nhien expected. The three nearest beasts did not charge him directly. Instead, they spread to either side, deliberately narrowing his path of movement. Another crouched low behind them, waiting until Hao Nhien passed before suddenly springing at him.

Hao Nhien sensed the airflow shift beside him and immediately twisted away. The claws still brushed across his sleeve, tearing a long line through the cloth and leaving a burning scratch on his arm.

He frowned but did not stop.

These Sand Foxes survived in the Western Wastes through hunting and killing. Their coordination and instinctive reactions were anything but poor. Hao Nhien’s speed gave him an advantage, but it did not turn the entire pack into motionless targets waiting to be struck.

Another beast rushed him from the front. Hao Nhien did not meet it head-on. Instead, he turned the flat of the blade and used the sword’s weight to smash it across the muzzle. The impact knocked its head sideways, but at the same time, two Sand Foxes behind him had already closed in far enough to block his retreat.

Only then did Spirit Wings open for a brief instant.

Two translucent wings flashed behind him. A burst of wind pushed his body off its original path, carrying him through the narrow gap between the two beasts before he landed several zhang away.

Spirit Wings closed again at once.

Hao Nhien never remained in one place long enough for the pack to complete an encirclement. Whenever he moved in, the heavy sword struck only once before he changed direction. Sometimes the blade opened a line across a Sand Fox’s back. Sometimes it caused no more than a shallow wound. Either way, the cries and the scent of blood continued to grow.

The pack became more aggressive, and more of them joined the pursuit.

A second-rank Sand Fox suddenly shot out from the darkness on his right, moving far faster than the others. Hao Nhien only had time to turn his shoulder away from the vital area. Sharp teeth grazed his left shoulder, opening a wound that immediately stained his black robe with blood.

He turned at once and swept the heavy sword back into the beast’s muzzle. A dull impact sounded as the Sand Fox was knocked aside, while Hao Nhien retreated several steps to open the distance again.

He slowed his breathing and felt the burning pain in his left shoulder.

A little more dangerous than expected.

But it was enough.

Hao Nhien stopped advancing deeper into the pack and began withdrawing along a diagonal path, deliberately leaving the wounded beasts alive behind him so their cries would continue.

If the one behind them still refused to show itself, he would have to change methods.

He had not gone far when a deep roar suddenly came from the opposite slope.

It was nothing like the howls from before. The sound was so heavy that the sand beneath their feet seemed to tremble.

The Sand Foxes pursuing Hao Nhien immediately froze. One after another, they lowered their heads and retreated to either side, opening a path through the darkness.

A massive figure slowly stepped into the moonlight.

Hao Nhien’s pupils contracted slightly.

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The beast before him was far larger than the Sand Fox King killed in the previous battle. Its body stretched nearly four zhang long, with high shoulders and four thick legs like stone pillars. Gray-gold fur lay tight against its frame, reflecting the moonlight in cold metallic patches.

It moved slowly and showed no trace of impatience.

Yet every Sand Fox around it automatically lowered its body as it passed. That reaction alone was enough to show that its status stood far above the previous King.

Hao Nhien could not determine its exact strength, but the pressure it gave off clearly surpassed the third-rank King from before. If someone said it already stood at the limit of the third rank and was close to touching the next level, he would not have considered that an exaggeration.

The thought flashed through his mind before he pushed it aside.

Its exact level did not matter now. What mattered was making the beast step into the right place.

The Sand Fox King stopped more than a hundred zhang away. Its green eyes moved over the injured Sand Foxes, the bloodstains across the sand, and finally returned to Hao Nhien.

Hao Nhien tightened his grip on the heavy sword.

“You finally decided to come out.”

The beast lowered its head.

A sense of danger surged through him at once.

Hao Nhien had only just shifted his center of gravity when the massive creature charged. It did not truly disappear, but its speed was so great that the distance of more than a hundred zhang vanished in only a few strides.

Spirit Wings opened.

A burst of wind erupted behind him, pulling Hao Nhien diagonally to the right just as the Sand Fox King’s front claw swept through the place where he had been standing.

The sand exploded.

A wave of grit struck Hao Nhien’s back and made him stumble several more steps. A small stone thrown up by the force of the claw hit his chest hard enough to briefly disrupt the flow of blood and qi inside him.

Hao Nhien clenched his teeth, turned with the momentum, and brought the heavy sword down against the beast’s foreleg.

The blade struck the hardened fur with a dry metallic sound.

Only a shallow line of blood appeared.

The Sand Fox King did not even make a sound. It simply turned its head, its green eyes as cold as before.

Hao Nhien looked at the wound, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

“Thick skin.”

Its enormous tail swept across almost at the same moment.

Hao Nhien used Spirit Wings to shift direction again, but he could not completely escape the residual force. The heavy blast of air struck his back and sent him flying more than ten zhang before he hit the ground and slid across the sand.

The taste of blood rose in his throat.

Hao Nhien swallowed it back.

The main attack had not landed, yet the remaining force alone was enough to hurt him. If he took a direct pounce, his current body might not endure it.

From the high ground in the distance, Cat Dang watched with his grip tightening around his spear.

Tieu Nhan no longer showed the curiosity she had before. She stared without blinking, both hands unconsciously clenched, finally understanding what Hao Nhien had meant before entering the battle.

He was not certain he would remain unharmed.

He was simply the person with the best chance of getting out.

Hao Nhien did not give the Sand Fox King time to close in again. He changed direction, swept toward its left flank, and struck.

This time, the heavy sword opened a clearer line of blood across the gray-gold fur.

The Sand Fox King turned at once. Its front claw swept toward him with frightening speed, forcing Hao Nhien to open Spirit Wings for another brief burst and pull himself out of range. Even then, the force grazed his arm and left another thin cut.

Hao Nhien did not rush back in. He widened the distance and watched.

After several exchanges, he had confirmed one thing. His direct strength was not enough to break through this creature’s defenses. Even the heavy sword could only leave shallow wounds.

That did not matter. He had never expected to kill it with the sword.

Hao Nhien changed the rhythm of the fight.

He moved in from the left, struck once, and retreated. A short while later, he circled behind the beast and opened another wound. Each injury was small, but enough to draw blood and let the pain accumulate.

The Sand Fox King counterattacked again and again, but Hao Nhien never remained within range long enough to exchange blows directly. He relied mostly on footwork and his Wind affinity, using Spirit Wings only when he needed to change direction over a short distance or escape an attack that ordinary movement could not avoid.

Gradually, a low growl began to build in the beast’s throat.

Hao Nhien noticed the change.

It was becoming irritated, though it had not lost control.

He continued harassing it, moving in and out, leaving another wound whenever an opening appeared. The smell of blood grew stronger.

After several more exchanges, the Sand Fox King suddenly stopped pursuing him.

It stood still.

Its green eyes no longer followed every movement of Hao Nhien’s body. Instead, they simply kept him within sight.

Hao Nhien slowed.

As expected, the beast was adapting.

If it continued chasing an opponent with better short-range mobility, it would only exhaust itself without gaining anything. Instead, it had begun to wait for Hao Nhien to come to it.

That made him even more certain that the creature before him was not only stronger than the Sand Fox King from yesterday.

It was smarter as well.

Hao Nhien drew a deep breath and tightened his grip on the heavy sword.

If he wanted to draw it another few dozen zhang, the previous method would no longer work.

He needed to show it an opening worth taking.

Hao Nhien suddenly accelerated.

This time, he did not circle to either side. He charged straight in and brought the heavy sword toward the center of the beast’s brow.

The attack was obvious and direct.

The Sand Fox King did not dodge.

Only when Hao Nhien was close enough did all four of its legs explode with power. Its enormous body surged upward, and its right claw met the descending blade head-on.

The collision rang out violently.

The force transmitted through the sword left both of Hao Nhien’s arms numb. He was knocked backward and had to open Spirit Wings for a brief instant to stabilize himself as he touched the ground.

Blood appeared at the corner of his mouth.

The Sand Fox King advanced several steps.

Hao Nhien looked at it, then charged again from almost the same angle.

The second time, the beast reacted even faster. Its claw struck directly against the flat of the blade, and the impact sent Hao Nhien flying farther back.

This time, he could not completely neutralize the force. Pain stabbed through his chest, and his breathing became slightly uneven.

From far away, Cat Dang could not stop himself from speaking.

“This is bad.”

Lanh Hoa answered with only one word.

“Wait.”

His voice remained cold, but the hand gripping his saber had tightened until the knuckles turned white.

Hao Nhien retreated several more zhang.

The Sand Fox King advanced several steps.

Only a short distance remained between the beast and the patch of sand Hao Nhien had chosen.

He did not look down at the ground, nor did he allow his gaze to linger there.

Instead, Hao Nhien deliberately made his breathing heavier. His sword hand trembled slightly after the two direct clashes, allowing the beast to see his fatigue and the appearance of an opponent beginning to lose patience.

After several breaths, Hao Nhien suddenly launched himself upward.

Spirit Wings opened only long enough to carry him beyond the immediate reach of the claws. Once he had risen high enough, he folded the wings away, gripped the heavy sword with both hands, and used gravity to drive himself downward.

Moonlight traced a cold line along the blade.

This attack carried no attempt to evade or test the beast.

To anyone watching, it looked like a desperate strike meant to decide the battle in one blow.

The Sand Fox King raised its head and did not retreat.

When Hao Nhien came close enough, its hind legs drove into the sand and the enormous body rose. Both front claws lifted, with the right one smashing directly toward the heavy sword.

A deep explosion sounded in the air.

Sand burst outward around them.

The rebound threw Hao Nhien upward, and both his arms went numb almost to the point of losing sensation.

But this time, his eyes remained completely clear.

The Tieu Dao Sword, which had remained behind him, suddenly shot forward. Driven by his spiritual awareness, the blade accelerated toward the Sand Fox King’s brow.

The beast reacted with astonishing speed. It tilted its head just enough to avoid the main line of attack. The Tieu Dao Sword skimmed past its neck and pierced into its shoulder, though the wound was not deep.

The Sand Fox King did not stop because of the strike.

Instead, all four legs gathered strength at once.

Hao Nhien was still being thrown backward by the rebound and had no contact with the ground. From the outside, this was clearly the moment when his mobility was at its weakest.

The beast launched itself.

Its nearly four-zhang body came at him like a massive boulder hurled through the air.

Hao Nhien watched it close the distance.

The corner of his mouth curved slightly.

“Good.”

Spirit Wings opened fully for a single brief burst.

Rather than resisting the violent airflow generated by the Sand Fox King’s pounce, he borrowed that force and let it push his body diagonally aside.

The shift was small.

But it was enough.

The huge claw swept past his chest without touching him.

The Sand Fox King fell back toward the ground.

The instant all four paws struck the sand, Hao Nhien knew the plan had worked.

The ground beneath the beast trembled.

At first, only a small ripple spread outward from its front paws. Then the load-bearing layer beneath the surface gave way completely, and an entire section of sand suddenly slid downward.

The weight of a body nearly four zhang long, combined with the impact of the landing, all came down on the exact area Hao Nhien had tested earlier.

The Sand Fox King immediately lost its balance.

Its front legs plunged deep.

The hind legs followed a moment later.

The sand did not merely collapse. It flowed around the beast like liquid mud, continuously drawing away the remaining support beneath its feet.

The creature roared and tried to launch itself free.

That burst of strength only made the sand collapse faster.

It reached left with one claw in search of solid ground, but the edge on that side broke away. When it shifted its weight to the right, that side began sliding as well.

Within only a few breaths, the Sand Fox King’s legs were trapped deep beneath the surface.

Hao Nhien did not give it time to adapt.

Spirit Wings opened for another brief burst, carrying him just high enough. He immediately raised the heavy sword with both hands.

This time, he did not need to cut through the hardened fur.

He only needed downward force.

Hao Nhien descended.

The heavy sword slammed directly into the two claws the Sand Fox King had raised to defend itself.

A heavy impact rolled across the sand.

The beast’s enormous body sank farther.

The Sand Fox King roared furiously and swept its left claw upward, but with half its lower body trapped in the sand, the movement had slowed considerably.

Hao Nhien used Spirit Wings to pull himself away from the main line of the attack. The residual force still swept across his shoulder, making the old wound flare with pain as fresh blood seeped through his robe.

He did not stop.

The heavy sword rose again and crashed down once more.

The rebound numbed his arms all the way to his shoulders, but the Sand Fox King beneath him sank deeper as well.

The sand had nearly reached its belly.

From afar, Luu Thanh watched the scene, and his expression gradually changed.

Hao Nhien was not stronger than the beast.

He had never been stronger than it.

He had simply drawn his opponent into a place where its enormous strength was no longer entirely an advantage.

“He is not beating it with strength,” Luu Thanh murmured.

“He is using the Sinking Sands to beat it.”

Cat Dang said nothing.

He only looked at the enormous beast struggling in the sand, then back toward Hao Nhien above it.

Tieu Nhan had lost the curiosity she showed before. She watched without blinking, finally beginning to understand the difference between someone who was merely strong and someone who knew how to choose the place where strength should be used.

Lanh Hoa remained silent, though the hand resting on his saber had gradually loosened.

Hao Nhien did not know what the others were thinking.

Nor did he have time to care.

The Sand Fox King was still alive.

It had not even completely lost its ability to resist.

A spirit beast standing near the limit of the third rank could not be finished merely by sinking into sand.

Hao Nhien looked down.

The calm in the green eyes below was gone. Ferocity and panic had appeared in its place, but more dangerously, the beast was still trying to shift its weight and find leverage rather than thrashing without thought.

Hao Nhien tightened his grip on the heavy sword.

The night wind pulled at the torn fabric around his shoulder as he looked down at the King slowly sinking into the sand. His voice was not loud, yet it carried clearly through the stillness.

“Tonight, you are the prey.”